This invention relates to a load sensing hydraulic system for an agricultural vehicle, and in particular to a load sensing hydraulic system that delivers hydraulic fluid according to demand and that limits power losses.
In agricultural vehicles, many of the vehicle functions are hydraulically actuated. For example, on a tractor, the steering and clutch are often hydraulically actuated. Additionally, implements attached to the tractor often comprise hydraulic actuators, which require pressurized hydraulic fluid to operate them.
As tractors and the implements drawn by such tractors increase in size, the capacity of the tractor's hydraulic system must also be increased to meet the possible demands made on it.
It has been noted that increasing the flow of hydraulic fluid within the system to a level that meets the requirements of any demand placed on it gives rise to significant power losses and can lead to the hydraulic fluid overheating.
While some of the hydraulically powered functions of the vehicle are used frequently, others are used less frequently. It would therefore be desirable to provide a hydraulic system to match the supply of hydraulic fluid to the demand therefor.